International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated today 25 April. This year’s theme for the Girls in ICT day celebrations is “Leadership”, to underscore the critical need for strong female role models in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.
In this article, business leaders reveal what measures they are taking from mentorship programmes, skills development, training, and development initiatives to ensure women’s careers are capacitated to leadership positions.
Promoting women leadership in ICT in Africa
Although women now fill 40% of high-skill occupations globally, their participation in ICT-related fields continues to be low. This is especially true in Africa.
While there is a leadership gender gap in every industry, the largest gaps are found in the STEM fields. Women in ICT often find themselves in junior or support roles rather than in managerial roles, with little opportunity for advancement. They are also less likely to hold an executive position, become ICT entrepreneurs, or be represented among science and technology policymakers.
Women need to be heard
Diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in companies can and should be the starting point for women’s representation in companies. As Zoho for Startups’ Global Head, Kuppulakshmi Krishnamoorthy comments, “is it not a question of the cultural integrity of an organisation if women employees don’t feel included, feel to be deserving of opportunities and growth, and feel the need to be listened to?”
“Teams realising that women need to be heard is a necessary first step. There should be enough opportunities created for peer-to-peer groups to be formed, that can lead to the forging of life-long friendships or allies at the workplace,” adds Krishnamoorthy.
Advancing women’s under-representation in ICT
The greatest challenge to advancing gender equality in the workplace, particularly in the technology industry, is addressing women’s under-representation in emerging roles, such as cloud computing, engineering and Data and AI.
“Addressing this challenge starts long before a woman enters the workforce. We need to work together – as education institutes, as business, as caregivers – to help cultivate an interest in ICT among young girls by exposing them to all the possibilities ICT holds,” says Ursula Fear, Senior Talent Programme Manager at Salesforce.
“A successful outcome would be the day that we no longer need to talk about girls or women in ICT as a specific focus area. In the meantime, we need to keep nurturing potential, interrogating how to make ICT more appealing to girls and women, and actively debunk any remaining stigmas, myths and stereotypes around ICT being a male field. “
The rise of women leaders in the sports betting industry
Careers in sports betting have largely been dominated by men; but we are starting to see this change as more women enter leadership positions within the sports betting industry. This is according to Gail Odgers, Sportingbet Head of Acquisition.
“We have definitely seen the sports betting industry evolve over the last six to seven years. While the industry is still male dominated, we are seeing more women rapidly rising through the ranks into leadership positions,” says Odgers.
“The fast-paced sports betting industry is growing so rapidly that career progression is much faster than other industries. Women in this industry are accelerated into leadership positions within three to five years; whereas in other industries it could take decades before they find themselves at the helm of a department or company. Furthermore, participating in sports betting requires executives to keep up with emerging technologies and new regulations. The hustle isn’t for everyone, but if you can meet that challenge you will thrive,” Odgers adds.
Cultivating tangible female leadership in STEM
Representation and visibility of female leaders in sectors like entertainment and marketing are celebrated, and the STEM fields are recognising the need for similar visibility. Influential figures such as Shonda Rhimes, a powerhouse in film production with numerous acclaimed series that reshaped modern television, and Bozoma Saint John, known for her transformative role as the former CMO of Netflix, serve as prime examples of how visible leadership can inspire the next generation. Their career trajectories and visible achievements illustrate the power of role models in breaking barriers and paving the way for women aspiring to lead in their respective fields. Huawei embraces this paradigm.
Vanashree Govender, Media and Communications Manager at Huawei SA, says, “Tangible leadership means creating pathways that are not just aspirational but visible and accessible. We ensure that women in our tech fields have clear role models, like our female COO in South Africa, Christina Naidoo, who is an embodiment of what is achievable in ICT. This visibility is crucial for inspiring and retaining talent in the sector.”
Huawei has keenly taken on the challenge to turn the tide, making STEM an attractive and viable path for women through programmes that not only support their education and skills development but also celebrate and elevate their achievements.
Leadership role models are needed
Head of MiWay Blink, Keletso Mpisane believes that one of the biggest barriers in ICT has always been access to market and competition but for women it is also gender bias.
“The ICT space has historically been male dominated and though there have been strides made over the years, there is still room for a higher presence of women in the field,” says Mpisane. “These women would act as role models for the next generation, who would be in the position to take this field even further forward into a more equally representative space.”
